Movie Time

Today was a lie-in day, we weren’t starting until 8am! I know on a normal holiday that is not a lie-in but on this trip it is a god send! So, after a good night’s sleep and brekkie the group is on a bus making its way to Jaipur. It is once again a nice bus, made all the better for our mid journey stop for what the group has started to call ‘Chai Time’ - a chance to get a lovely piping hot Chai in the iconic clay cups as well as some snacks. I get a some choc-chip cookies to dunk in my tea and quickly try to give as many away as possible to stop myself demolishing the whole pack, I even give one to the child of a beggar. In general, I ignore child beggars as I have been told by guides that giving money to children encourages their parents to keep them out of school to try and earn money rather than get an education. It is a sad fact that some people are driven to this, but at this rest stop in the middle of the highway I can’t see the harm in sharing a cookie with a child. This may have been a mistake because it leads to the family sticking by us for the duration of our stop in an attempt to get more out of us. Another reason it is sometimes better to not give in the first place, similar to photos, one always leads to more.

We have an extra special stop today, although not on the itinerary, Nik our trainee guide has offered to have the group visit his family home. A beautiful array of land owned by his close and extended family, growing different crops and raising cows for milk – it is lovely. The family has recently built a new house connected to their old one. Although incomplete and without electricity it is still a sight to behold. It is a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the cities that we have gotten used to. Nikihil is native to Rajasthan and his family comes from an ancient warrior caste known for their hospitality and his family lives up to this trait, opening their home to us and offering us amazing Chai and tasty snacks. We also get to meet Nik’s dogs. However, at a distant, these German Shepard, Great Dane mix breeds are behemoths and not welcoming to strangers! Their bark is enough to send shivers down your spine, although they look like they would be great to hug once they got to know you!

However, I think this may come down to a few different factors. Firstly, the movie is just plain great, it has everything you want – love, loss, revenge, redemption, action, drama, musical numbers and dances – the whole lot. Secondly, I am lucky enough to be seated next to Anuj who helps fill me in on all the going-ons, I know you would think in a Hindu and English mixed movie it wouldn’t be that hard to follow, but turns out Hinglish is 97% Hindi with the occasional English word thrown in. Thirdly, Indian cinema is a whole different ball game to English cinema, seated and silent are not rules that apply here! The crowd, which has every possible character and walk of life, erupts in cheers every time Shah Rukh Khan, our main protagonist, enters a scene as well as his love interest, the head of the police department played by Nayanthara, an equally famous Bollywood actress. Although the bustling nature of the crowd goes against everything that my stiff upper lipped British attitude believes in, you can’t but help get caught up in the momentum of the crowd and find yourself cheering along.

The movie has some very adult themes, which seems not to blend well with the child and family filled theatre, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Rachel, who is sitting next to me, and I also find the warning messages about the harm of smoking, which appear every time a cigarette or cigar is used as a prop to highlight how intensely cool one of the characters is, rather funny and oxymoronic considering how they are being used in the movie as a sign of badassery. The rest of the group are finding it a little difficult to follow along, without the benefit of Anuj in their ears, so I do my best to pass on key plot lines and facts. All in all it was an amazing experience that I would highly recommend to anyone considering going for a movie night in India, as even those who weren’t following along still got caught up in the excitement of the theatre which reminded me more of a lively music gig than a movie theatre.

After the movie the group go for a late-night dinner; many of us are starving. We enjoy reminding each other about our favourite parts of the movie and ironing out many of the questions we had, after not fully understanding what was going on. After dinner the group was straight to bed after another intense but amazing day!

The tour ends with us arriving at the Raj Mandir movie theatre. We are going in to watch what will be my first ever Bollywood movie experience. Anuj has told us that the movie will be in Hinglish a language spoken all over Rajasthan, it is a mixture of Hindi and English. He also says that if we are struggling to understand he and Nik will help decipher what is going on. Jawan, the movie we are seeing is a short one, only a little over three hours long, with a intermission half way through. It is the newest work of the famous Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan – an action-packed thriller. The movie is fantastic, possibly one of the best I have ever seen!

The bustling streets in front of the Albert Hall Museum

Classic Bollywood
(click on the top right hand icon)

After saying goodbye to Nik’s family we continue our journey to the walled pink city of Jaipur, entering the old city through the Ajmeri Gate. Once there we drop our bags off at the hotel and head out for a walk in the markets. This city is an amazing mix of old and new with many photo-worthy spots, not least the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur’s oldest museum that also functions as Rajasthan’s State museum. The streets put English high streets to shame, bustling with activity, there isn’t a space not filled by some kind of activity. There are shops for anything you can possibly imagine. The one that gets the group’s main attention is a famous Lassi shop where we enjoy the creamy yoghurt sweet refreshment, once again served in disposable clay cups.

Entering Jaipur through the Ajmeri Gate
(click on the top right hand icon)

The Ajmeri Gate into Jaipur Old City

Nik welcomes us to his beautiful new family home, but awaiting electricity